Devotee loses Rs 73,000 to fake darshan ticket scam

TIRUPATI: A fresh racket involving sale of fake arjitha seva tickets to devotees

online

has come to light, with the

Tirumala

Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) filing a complaint with the Tirumala police to probe into the recurring menace.

The fraudsters are managing to devise new tricks to cheat gullible devotees, despite the TTD initiating a number of measures to streamline darshan system by plugging the loopholes in the arjitha seva

ticket

issuance mechanism. In the latest episode, fraudsters created fake domains similar to the temple body’s official website to lure devotees and made them transfer money to get arjitha seva tickets. It’s only after the unsuspecting devotees reach Tirumala with the tokens that they realise that they have been taken for a ride.

Tirupati II town police inspector

Chandra Sekhar

said one KP Ravi Narayana from Chennai was introduced to a tout, identified as Lathik Rahul, by his relative Bharat to book arjitha seva tickets. The devotee requested for 18 abhishekam and 10 suprabatham tickets to be booked for his family. Rahul struck a deal with Narayana and promised the tickets upon payment of Rs 73,000. After the amount was transferred, Rahul sent the ‘tickets’ to Narayana.

On December 13 last year, when Narayana’s family reached the Vaikuntam Q complex at Tirumala and sought entry for suprabatham and abhishekam darshans, TTD’s vigilance and security wing told them the tickets in their possession were fake. Narayana tried to call his relative Bharat, who had introduced him to the tout, but he did not respond to his repeated calls. He then lodged a complaint with the temple’s vigilance wing, who in turn informed the Tirumala police, who are now probing the case.

Tirumala police have appealed to devotees not to fall prey to brokers, touts or to attempt booking seva tickets through unofficial websites. “Devotees should book darshan or seva tickets only through TTD’s official website,” Chandra Sekhar warned, while adding that they will arrest the people behind the fake ticket

scam

soon.


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